After 25 seasons, 303 victories, and two Empire 8 Tournament Championships in 2008 and 2010, Utica University women’s basketball Head Coach and Senior Woman Administrator Michele Davis has announced that she will be stepping down from her position effective today, March 14th.
Coach Davis has been a staple for the athletic department in her 25 years of service and was even recently recognized for her impact on the wider Utica athletics community by being inducted into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame (GUSHOF) this past fall.
A Utica native and graduate of nearby Notre Dame High School, Davis was also a standout player for neighboring Herkimer County Community College, becoming a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association Region III Player of the Year. She also picked up even more hardware for the Generals, being named a two-time Mountain Valley Conference first team selection, two-time Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year, and a two-time NJCAA First Team All-American.
Davis then transferred to Division I University of Albany where she continued her spectacular trajectory, capturing a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) honorable mention during her first season with the Great Danes before being named an All-NECC Second Team selection after her Senior season.
Following her illustrious playing career, Davis served in an assistant coaching role with RPI and eventually Utica. Davis was elevated to the status of head coach in the fall of 2000.
Davis has a long list of achievements including being named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year in 2002-2003 and also receiving the WBLA/Russell Athletic Division III Region II Coach of the Year in 2004-2005. The Utica native has also coached 49 Empire 8 All-Conference honorees, four Empire 8 Player of the Year winners, and two Empire 8 Rookie of the Year winners during her tenure. She has also coached four different players who have earned D3hoops.com All-Region honors, one Region Player of the Year, and one multi-time D3hoops.com All-American.
Davis’s Pioneers have made the NCAA Tournament twice in her time as head coach, defeating Moravian 64-61 in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament.
More information about the future leadership of Utica University women’s basketball will be announced within the coming weeks, with a plan of succession currently being planned by the Utica University Athletics Department.
